Medicines wastage: what can nurses do?
Unused prescription medicines cost the NHS in the UK an estimated £300 million every year, delegates at an RCN Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) Forum event heard today.
The event saw the launch of an RCN educational publication, produced by the ANP forum, which offers advice for nursing staff, and patients, on better medicines management. It includes a patient enablement tool to help nursing staff assess the impact of their interventions and for patients to better understand their medicines. “We are hoping that people will consider incorporating this tool into their practice,” said Mary Hutchinson, ANP forum member.
The publication also incorporates a tear-out card that outlines ways patients can help reduce medicine wastage and what nursing staff can do to help them.
“We don’t think about the hidden costs of medicines waste,” said Alison Ewing, Clinical Director at Royal Liverpool University Hospital, one of a panel of speakers exploring the issues of medicine wastage. Alison revealed some of the associated costs and some of the ways they are wasted – such as hoarding, re-ordering too much, and repeat dispensing.
“Everyone needs to play a part in reducing waste,” said Jan James, from Medicines Waste UK – a social marketing campaign which aims to reduce the serious problem of wasted or unused medicines.
In light of figures that suggest between 30-50 per cent of patients do not take their medicines as recommended, Heidi Wright, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, discussed medicines optimisation – an approach to effective use of medicine that aims to produce the best possible outcomes for patients. “It’s about putting the patient first,” said Heidi.
